Beyond Black and White
by Igor Lollipop
Summary: It is commonly believed that darkness is bad and light is good. When two Organization members start an all out war with a group that believes darkness should be wiped out completely, where will Sora and his friends stand? Sequel. T for lang/violence.
1. Prologue

**A/n: **Welcome to Beyond Black and White, the third story in my Two Sided series! If you haven't read the Two Sided Heart or a Nobody's War, you'd better do so. Even if you've read both, you might want to go back and reread as there have been changes. (Long note today) I realize I wrote this story a few years ago, but I've given the series a huge overhaul, and this story just... needed to be recreated. Enjoy!

Disclaimer – I do not own the Kingdom Heart series, all I own are the OCs and the plot.

_'Darkness is a harsh term, don't you think?  
><em>

_And yet it dominates the things I see._

_It seems that all my bridges have been burned.'  
><em>

**-"Roll Away Your Stone" by Mumford & Sons**

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><p>The ripped white leather chair squeaked against the stone floor as it tilted back. "I was never meant to run an organization. That was the job of Xemnas and Marluxia. Maybe even Saïx."<p>

The man sitting across the table did not look up from shuffling his cards. "Ah, that's right. Your job was to be another free spirit, wasn't it? A free spirit that enjoyed shooting at people on the occasion."

"Yeah, well..." The men looked virtually identical in their black coats, and it was difficult to see the features of each as their hoods were pulled up. "We're the only two left, but you were always the second smartest in the Organization, so what's the plan now?"

"We already have the cards we need," replied the other man as he cut the deck. "Now we just need one more good hand and we can complete things."

"I hate it when you speak in poker, Luxord,"

Luxord dropped the cards to the table as he hissed a sigh. "The others will come running once they know of the, ah, current situation... From there, we can finally get what we need." Before he could explain further, someone knocked on the door, distracting the men. "You may enter."

Another person, with a feminine shape, dressed in the same coat joined them. She took one look at the raggedy grey room and sighed as her boots clicked against the floor. _'So uncheerful, this place,' _she thought to herself as she stopped before the table. "It wasn't easy taking out that Roxas." It sounded as if she was still trying to catch her breath, her chest heaving a little, "But he's out and with the others."

"Don't forget that he can use portals again without fear," the man leaning in the chair reminded her.

The girl heaved another sigh and tossed her hood off to reveal shoulder length silver hair. "I know, I know, Xigbar," she grumbled in a monotone voice, as if she were used to saying those particular words. Her brown eyes screwed up in concentration as she attempted to pin her bangs back with a blue barrette; clearly, the fight with Roxas had been particularly difficult on her. She turned her eyes on them, a strange combination with her hair, and the Nobodies attempted to feel less than perturbed by the unusual appearance. Though they had adjusted after all of these years, it was still strange.

"Holly, Holly, shouldn't you be calling me 'Superior'?" teased Xigbar.

The girl, Holly, snorted. "Yeah, once I keel over and die. Well, actually... I still wouldn't then." Luxord chuckled quietly while Xigbar just appeared to be annoyed.

"You may go now," remarked Xigbar through gritted teeth. Smiling, Holly bowed mockingly as she backed out of the door. Wanting support, Xigbar looked toward Luxord.

Luxord shot him a sympathetic smile. "There's always one."

Xigbar snorted, "With these kids? It's _all _of them," he complained. "I don't know how Maleficent dealt with them, but I get why they weren't working with the Organization the past couple years. Between her and her friends, it'll be like Roxas and Axel all over again..."  
>Holly seemed particularly satisfied with herself and their words as she stepped into the hallway, but she nearly shot of her skin when she realized that she was not alone. Leaning against the wall across from the door was a significantly taller girl who was idly winding a strand of her red and blue-striped hair around her index finger. Her blue eyes widened a little, and her lips quirked up into a small smirk at Holly's reaction. "Giving them a hard time as usual, hm?"<p>

"What do you want, Tiesa?" Her hands curled into fists, her nails biting into palms, probably without her even noticing. "Where the hell were you when I had to take care of Roxas, by the way? Are you aware of how difficult that was?"

Tiesa shrugged her left shoulder as she played with the black belt of her leather jacket. For someone who appeared so unperturbed, she had quite a few nervous habits. "Let's walk." Her voice suggested that Holly did not have a choice in the matter and, inwardly groaning, Holly removed her jacket and placed her hands in the pockets of her shorts.

They walked in an awkward silence for a few minutes until they stepped outside. The sun was already disappearing beyond the horizon, casting an orange glow on everything. Annoyed, Holly glanced up at her companion. "What did you want again?"

Her impatience hardly seemed to bother Tiesa, but she did look unsettled about something. Holly was not sure how exactly she realized it, but she guessed it was from years of knowing each other. She attempted to drop the sourness out of her voice as she prompted, "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember," began Tiesa abruptly, her eyes trained on the horizon, "the day we left?"

And, without even really thinking about it, Holly knew what they were talking about. "Sure," she nodded, "but what...?"

"There was a lot of chaos, obviously. I mean we had just..." Tiesa shook her head, the most unsure and insecure Holly had seen her in a while. "We don't even know what happened to anyone, but none of us ever really cared about anyone else anyway."

A jolt, like a tiny electric shock or sting, ran through Holly's body. "Except for Destine. As much as she complained about her sister, she was still worried... Something Maleficent yelled at her for over and over. Why are we discussing this?" Her voice was dry again.

"I thought after Maleficent," Tiesa drew her hand, horizontally, across her throat, "that Destine had given up on the thought. She never brought it up, but..." Her lips puckered unpleasantly, like she had just eaten a lemon.

Annoyed and inexplicably excited, Holly demanded, "What? Spit it out, already."

"I think I know what happened to Maggie after all."

**XxxxxX**

When the only sound in the entire room was the creaking of the old wooden door, she was sure that it was currently unoccuppied. The office was dark and, though not very large, she did, at first, believe that she was alone. It seemed that the only source of light was the large window on the opposite side of the room, the one with a beautiful view of the sea and, currently, the moon and stars. A willowy figure was blotting out some of the light and, upon realizing she was no longer alone, remarked, "That Xigbar surely has a deathwish." Her voice was light, yet cool; a strange combination that only the woman seemed to be capable of.

Slowly, the girl that had entered the room drew herself further in. The plush carpet felt nice on her bare feet though, she chided herself, she probably should have been wearing boots. "Why's that?" Her voice held a note of childlike curiosity for the most part, though there was a small undercurrent of hesitance. It was not uncommon for her to listen to the woman's rants, but, depending on her mood, she always had to approach the subject with great caution.

"He refuses to give in to me, refuses to acknowledge that we are simply better." The window screeched unpleasantly as the woman dragged her pale hand across the glass. "But, how could he think that? Has the Keyblade Master not, time and time again, proven that light is stronger than darkness?"

The teenager nodded so vehemently that her blond hair went flying a little. Realizing she could not be seen, she agreed, "That is very true, madam."

A small sound, like a husky chuckle, escaped the woman's throat. "But he says that he has captured the Keyblade Master, and that he did so with such ease that it proves darkness is stronger after all. A fool. I told him to release them, those warriors of light, but he refused. I threatened him with war, a war unlike what was even seen all of those years ago with Master Xehanort..." Her hand balled into a fist, and she abruptly turned to pound it on the table. Papers went flying, but she did not seem to care; her sleek black hair, which normally cascaded down her back in neat waves, was all over the place. In the darkness, her eyes shone like black mirrors. "He laughed; he said he would take great pleasure in extinguishing those who use light once and for all just to show the worlds how weak that type of magic is..."

The blonde's hand rested over her heart, which was beating erratically. She spoke as if she were treading on thin ice. "F-Farrah, he had no right... He doesn't realize how weak he is! All they have are those stupid Heartless and only a handful of people, but we... We have _light_. Anyone will fight on the side of light, especially the friends of the Keyblade Master! Don't let him get to you, you're stronger than that!"

Slowly, Farrah looked up, her hair falling into her eyes; she looked a little lost. "Ah, Maggie... Of course, of course you're right. I allow myself to get upset for no reason. The soonest you can, send someone to see that close friend of the Keyblade Master. We will show Xigbar exactly which is the better side."


	2. I: Sigh no more

****Chapter One:  
><strong>**Sigh no more****  
><strong>**

****A/n: Super fast update because it's Lesser's birthday today! This chapter is awfully slow, and for that I apologize, but it's a necessary evil. Finally bringing the main characters into the action... Or lack thereof, I suppose. I forgot to mention this, but I'll be deleting Fading Phenom, Rest of My Life, and From Beyond the Grave. After I finish this, there will probably be either one more (very long) story or two. We'll see where things go.****

****Disclaimer- I do not own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own the plot and any characters you don't recognize. Unless you don't recognize them and they're Kingdom Hearts main characters... in which case, shame on you. D: ****

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><p>Shouts of glee that nearly rivaled the screeching of the school bell sounded as, up and down the hallway, doors flew open and students crowded into the hallway. Where most people were starting in the direction opposite of the classrooms, there were two girls in particular fighting against the flow of students in an effort to return to their locker. "Good God, people, <em>move<em>! This isn't even the last day of class, you morons." The taller of the girls, a brunette, narrowly avoided being slammed into by a group of guys. You know there's something wrong with your school when the students cry out with glee at the end of every day and run out of the building as if it were on fire. "Stefa," she called in an attempt to bring her friend back to the earth, "what are you doing?"

The girl, Stefa, was fumbling beneath her pink skirt in an effort to reach the pocket of her jeans. _'Reasons why you should stop wearing a skirt over jeans,' _noted a voice that was not her own. She did not respond to the voice - more or less because that would make her seem insane - as she continued to fish through her pockets. Beside her, the brunette, eager to get out of the crowded school, broke into a run. _'You might want to catch up with Nalani.' _This time, Stefa paid attention to the voice as she spotted her best friend disappearing around a corner. "Nalani!" she called, giving up the search as she rounded the corner as well.

About a minute later, she found Nalani kicking a crème-colored locker in a secluded (and quite empty) hallway. "Damn thing, always getting stuck..." she grumbled, kicking the locker harder yet with her black converse, her straight hair flying around a little from the exertion.

Stefa paused beside the locker as it finally flew open and continued her search. "Maybe she's right," she mumbled under her breath in reference to her skirt, "These things are a trap, I swear."

"I hope you don't make it a habit to talk to yourself out loud, or to talk about _her _out loud," added Nalani with a certain emphasis on the pronoun as she waved something thin and silvery before her shorter friend's face. "Don't you remember? You asked me to hold this for you."

Stefa felt her cheeks burn as she took the cellphone from Nalani, unsure of why she even wanted it in the first place. "All that fussing for nothing," she sighed, shoving the object in the offending pockets. In the back of her mind, she heard laughter and some type of remark, but she ignored it. In anyone else's standards, she would be deemed mentally unstable but, for Stefa, this type of thing was quite normal. Not that it made her sanity any less of a question.

Nalani rolled her eyes. "Oh, Stefa," was all she said, gazing, briefly, inside of the mess that they called their locker. "It looks like it's going to be bad outside," she remarked, tugging up the beige hood of her plaid sweatshirt. "Are you really going to babysit?"

Stefa heaved a sigh. Since she had returned home, she had been put on babysitting duty quite often. It was not nearly as much as it had been when she lived with her entire family, but still enough. "Even if I skid off the highway, I have to make an attempt," she sighed. "This is my life."

Nalani had kneeled before the locker in order to grab a book. "This thing is... a mess. If we were intelligent, we would clean this out now," she noted as she gazed at the torn music lyrics and old quizzes lining the bottom of the locker.

Stefa nodded, grinning a little. "_If_ being the key word," she agreed as the two of them grabbed their books.

Nalani swung the door shut, leaving all of the messy scraps inside. "We'll take care of it before graduation." The two stared at each other for just a moment before laughing, "Yeah, right."

"Graduation... I can't believe we even _made _it this far. After everything that's happened..." Stefa trailed off and Nalani nodded in understanding. "Anyway, where is he? I'd like it to be less than white out conditions when I go to Summer's."

Nalani's voice took on a puppy-dog like quality as she said, "Give 'im a break."

Stefa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well... Only because he's your boyfriend," she fumbled with the straps of her tote bag, "This is annoying. It's senior year, my bag shouldn't be this heavy," she raised the straps of her tote a little. "Then again, I guess we did miss a bit of school..."

Someone whistled from behind them. "Stefa, you're _always _annoyed, especially these days."

"Harassed is more like it," she grumbled in response to the male voice, without bothering to turn around. "I need winter break more than I needed air that time in Atlantica..."

"What a strange metaphor," mused the boy as he joined them and slid an arm around Nalani's waist. He was significantly taller than either of them, even his girlfriend, and his hair was black and fro-like.

Stefa half-shrugged, managing a small smile. "Yeah, well. Let's get out of here so I can go watch the child. Oh, shit!" She began the pocket search anew, "Keys, keys, keys." The voice in her head laughed again and she felt distantly annoyed as she mumbled, "I know you know where they are, yet you refuse to tell me..."

"Is she talking to her Nobody again?" wondered Ceron, watching as Nalani reached into Stefa's bag and, with ease, pulled out a black lanyard with a couple of keys and pirate keychain. "Is that... a Furby?" he added, gazing at the fluffy yellow and green keychain with dislike.

Nalani nodded to both answers. "I worry about her and her mental state sometimes," she admitted, grinning for Stefa was still too busy searching her pockets to pay attention. She jingled the keys in front of Stefa before dropping them.

With reflexes like a cat, Stefa caught them with ease. "I really am my mother's child: disorganized and somewhat clumsy."

At this, Ceron and Nalani laughed, "Somewhat?" She did not listen, her thoughts moving to a different place as she thought of her mother. Stefa had not seen her mother since she was fifteen, a freshman, and had not an idea of what had happened to her. That was not exactly true, she supposed. Her mother had, like many others, likely lost her heart. When Stefa was reunited with Nalani earlier this year, she had felt quite hopeful that she would meet up with her mother again. This never happened.

"So much has changed," she mumbled as her thoughts drifted to her first adventure, when she had learned how to wield a keyblade and, perhaps most importantly, learned she was a 'princess' with a heart that no one fully understood, even now. "Sora, Quince, Riku... I wonder where they are."

This was not the first time any of them asked this question. As such, none of them had an answer, either. "Wherever they are, I'm sure they're fine. The last time something like this happened, Sora and Riku were fine, weren't they? Well, _Riku _was fine. He took care of Sora, and they got out of it okay." Nalani was a little surprised to hear the understanding in Ceron's voice as he attempted to reassure her best friend.

"Yeah, you're probably right," agreed Stefa with a smile. _'If they were fine, though, they would be back by now,' _she thought, sighing again.

"Winter break starts in four days!" reminded Nalani, grinning in an attempt to make Stefa cheerier, "Our last winter break."

A wry smiled touched Stefa's lips. "After this, our winter breaks will be a month long!"

"That's the spirit," agreed Ceron with a rare grin of his own as they started for glass doors with a perfect view of the outdoors. Snow had already blanketed everything in white and was falling so hard that it was nearly impossible to see. "Ah, that can't be good."

A short woman with greying auburn hair moved in front of the doors to block them. "Sorry, sorry, you can't leave yet. You just wait inside." They were about to argue with her when lightning struck in the distance and, begrudgingly, they moved away from the doors. "Get yourselves into the Sports Center!"

"Sports Center my ass," remarked Nalani with a roll of her eyes as they attempted to move to a lounge. They were surrounded by their classmates who, just ten minutes ago, had been eager to break out of the school. There was no room for them to move away, let alone enough to get to any of the lounges.

"Hey, Stefa!" A girl's voice called from somewhere amongst the crowd. Stefa looked around, but she saw no one. "Look up, dummy." Ceron, Nalani, and she looked up, onto the overlooking floor where a girl was simultaneously twirling her fiery red hair around her finger while waving down at them. "Get up here."

They moved in the direction of the doors, causing the security guards there to block them off, and took the staircase beside them. There was not a lot of room in the area, but that did not stop students from gathering there. They passed multiple small rooms meant to practice vocals or instruments, a somewhat large room where the choir practiced, and joined the redhead by the railing overlooking the lower floor. "This storm's a bad one, huh?" remarked Kate, though she was still smiling. Nothing seemed to have changed about her at all, least of all the way she dressed.

"It's the middle of the winter, there's thundersnow outside, and you're wearing that?" asked Ceron, staring at Kate's wardrobe with nothing short of shock. She was wearing a black midriff in order to show off her emerald bellybutton piercing and a pair of low rise jeans.

"At least she's not wearing shorts," pointed out Stefa, grinning a little. "I hope we don't get stuck here. I'd rather be trapped in my car than in this school."

Nalani smirked. "Of course you would. I'm surprised you haven't named that thing by now." Stefa had to smile; her yellow beetle, a "gift" from her aunt, was her pride and joy. When it was warm out, she washed it with a certain obsessiveness. Though she questioned if it was less of an I'm-so-glad-you-have-a-heart-again gift, and more like a please-never-go-on-another-adventure-again gift. With a glance behind them, at a looping hallway and particularly large room with wooden doors, she said, "I wanna go see if anyone's in the band room. Wanna come?"

Stefa shook her head vehemently, eyes on a small note posted on the door. "The last few times, I've almost been caught."

"But you haven't _been_ caught," pointed out Nalani. "Alright, fine. We'll be back."

Once Ceron and Nalani disappeared beyond the doors, Kate asked, "How's your year been?" During their sophomore and junior years, they had been nigh inseparable. Since Stefa had returned, though, she had not seen her much.

"I haven't been here long," noted Stefa, though she did not expand on why, nor did she expect Kate to ask. She, Nalani and Ceron had only been home since about November; only one month, then. "It feels like I've been here forever."

"Agreed. Our senior year, I can't _wait _for it to be over."

Stefa grinned. "Yeah, you want to choose a college that's warm so you can wear something like that," she gestured to the shirt, "all day, every day. Speaking of, have you been caught by any deans lately?"

"Honestly? No. I think, at this point, they've sort of come to like it." They both shivered, mumbling, "Creepy."

Kate faced her with a mischievous grin. "So, I really haven't heard much from you since you went... wherever you went." Stefa had never asked Kate what happened when Jewel's Grove was destroyed. She imagined that the girl would be aware of other worlds but, since she didn't appear to be, she simply assumed that Kate had put it out of her mind, or something. For whatever reason, Kate had come to the conclusion that Stefa went on some vacation. "I bet you got with that silver-haired guy, didn't you? You ran away with him?"

At this, Stefa truly had to laugh, despite the fact that her heart constricted at the thought of Riku. Because the guess was somewhat accurate, and she wanted an entertaining response, she agreed, "Yes, I ran away with him."

Kate's face became absolutely delighted. "And...?"

Stefa was spared from keeping up the facade as a voice boomed over the intercom. "Attention all students and teachers, report to the Sport's Center for an emergency assembly." Security guards seemed to be appearing out of nowhere and shooing everyone out of the area and down to the Sports Center. Nalani and Ceron were herded out of the Band Room by a balding man.

"Guess this Sports Center thing is inescapable, huh?" mumbled Nalani to Stefa as the bald man shepherded the group of them to the Sports Center.

**XxxxxX**

A month. Had it truly only been a month since she had returned? Somehow, it managed to feel much longer, but, she supposed, that had much to do with Sora and Riku being gone. With a sigh, the teenager stretched her legs out on the pale tree trunk as her violet eyes glanced up at the bright yellow, star-shaped fruit hanging from the tree. She absent-mindedly twisted a strand of dark red hair as she shifted her gaze to the ocean. _'What am I doing, sitting here? I should...' _What ? She could not come up with an answer, and she was pleased that there was no response in her mind. Then again, Naminé was not one to intrude.

If Kairi was being honest with herself, then she could probably admit that she only came to the play island in hopes that, one of these days, Riku and Sora would magically appear. No such luck thus far, and she was the only one who still made the trip; Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie had long since stopped coming to the island. Winter holidays would be soon and, she knew, that meant she would be at the island even more often. It concerned her parents to no end, she knew, but what would they have her do? It was the only thing she felt she could do. Though she often played with the idea of visiting Jewel's Grove, she never went through with it. She wanted to have some good news before she went to see Stefa, which tore her apart since she had never felt like either of them needed each other more.

"Kairi?" The sudden voice from behind her startled her so much that she flipped out of the tree and onto the sand in a very Sora-like fashion. "Sorry!" A girl with brown hair, curled into three different sections, and bright green eyes appeared over Kairi, blocking out the bright blue sky as she held out a hand. "Are you okay?"

Kairi stood on wobbly feet a little taller than Selphie, "Yeah." She eyed the other girl and realized that Selphie was all dressed up in sandals and a yellow sundress.

Selphie seemed to be taking in her friend's appearance with concern. It was a Monday, and Kairi had clearly arrived at the island directly after school. She was still wearing the white shirt with a tie to match the plaid blue skirt. "I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized.

Kairi shook her head, "It's okay, Selphie, really. I was just surprised, that's all. No one comes here besides me anymore."

Selphie inclined her head a little, worry as clear on her face as it was in her voice. "Yeah... You've been coming here every day since you came home." Kairi could no longer look at Selphie, so she averted her eyes to the thalassa shell keychain hanging from a loop on the dress. It was made of different colors than the one Kairi had given to Sora and, she realized, staring at it did not make her feel any less depressed. "I... I know you miss Sora and Riku. Tidus, Wakka, and I do, too, but you shouldn't be here so often by yourself! You know, I'm going out tonight, and—" The rest of her words fell on deaf ears as Kairi found herself withdrawn to her thoughts, distantly relieved that Selphie could recall her best friends. If that were the case, Sora and Riku had to be alright. They just had to be.

"Sora and Riku," Kairi sighed as she shifted her gaze to the ocean, making it clear she was not listening to Selphie's plans, "They've been gone for so long."

Frowning, but wanting to be a good friend, she rested a hand on Kairi's arm. "They'll come back from wherever they are. Besides, they haven't been gone that long, judging by what you told me!" Though Kairi did not make it a point to tell her other friends where exactly Sora and Riku were, she did allow them to know it had something to do with their adventures. Of course, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka did not know much about their adventures, either. "If they keep missing school, I wonder if they'll be able to graduate when they get back..."

There was something Kairi hadn't thought about for a while. What would she do once she had graduated? The cowardly thing to do would be to return to the Radiant Garden and decide to take up her role as a princess. Leon said it would be quite easy to simply reinstate monarchy. Kairi was a clever girl, and trustworthy, at that. After taking a few lessons, she could rule the world. At the moment, the world _had _no true ruler; it was simply in control by the Committee. Even if she did not know what it was she wanted to do, Kairi knew that she did not want to rule a world; that was just too much for her.

Nervous that she had frightened Kairi, Selphie spoke up again. "The future won't be so scary, though. We'll keep in touch. And you'll be someone famous!" Both girls laughed; they hadn't spoken like that since they were younger.

A wry smile touched Kairi's lips. "What will I be? An actress, maybe?" Selphie laughed once again, but Kairi only managed a quiet giggle as her thoughts returned to Sora and Riku, _'When will you come back?'_

**XxxxxX**

The meeting in the large gymnasium consisted of, mostly, the principal of the school acting as a dictator and telling the student body that no one was to leave. "It's the last Monday before winter break. How many of us do you think are actually going to listen?" shouted Ceron from his spot beside Nalani and Stefa on the bleachers. Around him, many more students yelled their agreement. Their school was extremely large, and trapping all of the students and much faculty in the not-very-large gym was a very poor choice.

The principal, a woman with short brunet hair and the beginnings of a mustache, scowled at them. For someone who obviously detested children, it was a wonder she went into a job where she had to see them every single day. "Enough, all of you! This is for _your _safety! No one leaves until further notice!"

Stefa, who had been watching the principal's pacing and shrieking for quite some time now, sat a little straighter and smirked. Her thoughts were mirrored as the familiar voice in her head said, _'That's what you think.' _She stood, but it went unnoticed as the room was teeming with people and many other students were standing and screaming incoherent things at the faculty. When she started off the bleacher, treading with ease over the backpacks and people, she could distantly make out the voices of her friends as they followed her. Once she reached the end of the bleachers, which, for some reason, had no guard rail, she jumped off and moved beneath them.

It only took a moment for Ceron and Nalani to join her with puzzled looks on their faces. "What...?" Before he could finish his sentence, Stefa's body became engulfed in a purple light as the faint form of a girl of equal height with brown and silver-streaked hair tied in a braid appeared. She winked a grey eye as a flowing mass of purple and black appeared beyond her hand.

Nalani was quite sure she had never been so relieved to see the Nobody. "Reixka. You two are such cheaters."

"Given Principal Gonzalez's constant crazy state of mind, I'd say you'll be here for a while if you don't want to come with," observed Reixka with a grin that revealed pearly white teeth.

"Do we look crazy to you?" asked Ceron before shaking his head. "Wait, don't answer that. You know, you'd never be late for class if you two did that all the time."

Stefa snorted. "Yeah, well, people might get scared if they see a black vortex and a transparent girl appear out of nowhere." Her body was engulfed in the familiar light as the Nobody disappeared and, without another word, the three of them entered the portal, leaving the rest of the student body at the principal's mercy.

The drive from the school to Ceron's house was somewhat frightening, but Stefa was just relieved that it was on the way to her cousin's. She squinted into the whiteness, relieved that she appeared to be the only one on the road. _'It's probably not such a good thing, actually. It probably means you're the crazy one, driving in this weather,' _Reixka's voice told her, and Stefa could not disagree. "Almost there, at any rate," she sighed as she turned into a parking lot, nearly skidding the car in the process, and finally parked. "Heartless and Nobodies have _nothing _on Jewel's Grove weather."

As she turned a leopard print key into the lock and thumped her boots up the stairs, she found herself missing the fact that she could not summon her trusty keyblade. Not to defend herself, of course; the only Heartless she ever saw were Shadows in tiny numbers, and they always seemed to disappear when she came too close, like frightened little insects. There was something immensely soothing about holding Shadow Heart; it made her feel close to the friends she had lost to the darkness.

_'It's odd that you could summon it when you first came back home,' _commented Reixka, _'but can't anymore.'_

Stefa shrugged and, realizing the hallway was empty, said, "It was probably because I had just come out of a dangerous situation." The doubt in her own voice made it difficult for either of them to believe her. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just... safe now. The only thing I have to worry about is doing the insane amount of makeup work. I'm still luckier than Ceron and Nala."

So stuck in her own thoughts was Stefa that she completely missed the apartment door flying open as a small child threw herself at her. Stefa fell onto the landing, the dark blond-haired child grinning from atop her stomach, "Stefy, Stefy, Stefy!"

It was amazing how comforting the sight of the little girl was, and Stefa very nearly forgot her worries about her keyblade and the boys, "Hey, Kath!" She stood, whisking the little girl into her arms, and entered the apartment, but there was no sign of any adults. "Summer, you can come out now!"

"Impatient as always, Stef," sighed a brunette woman as she stepped out of the nearby kitchen, pushing the pin of her earring in. It was the second time she had been called such in a day, and she frowned a little as she dangled the little girl from her feet. Other than the earrings, Summer seemed to be in quite a rush and ready to get out of the house. Her long, but thin, brown hair was already drawn into a nice ponytail, and she appeared to have just finished applying mascara. "You've got everything under control?" She did not seem the least bit worried that her daughter's blood was rushing to her head.

Stefa gently lowered Kath onto the floor as she faced Summer with a two-fingered salute, "Yes, ma'am!" Summer barely wasted another moment with formalities, bidding the two girls a goodbye as she snatched a black purse and set out of the apartment. Stefa turned her attention back to the giggling girl on the ground. "Well, now since she's gone..." She swept up the little girl bridal style. "I think that I heard the tickle monster!"

She disappeared down a short hallway and entered the last room, depositing the giggling child on a bed as the she choked out, "But I left out the cookies for him, just like you said!"

"The tickle monster told me he doesn't like chocolate chip. He told me that he's trying to eat healthy now." Kath giggled some more as Stefa tickled her and leapt off of the bed to snatch a DVD.

Stefa joined her by the DVD player and turned on the movie; it was nothing out of the norm for a night of babysitting though she could distinctly remember a time where Kath would harass her for story after story of her keyblade-wielding adventures. _'Maybe she feels that she's past that now that she's seen Traverse Town,' _thought Stefa as they returned to the bed and a bunch of singing high schoolers appeared on the screen. _'Even here, so much has changed.'_


	3. II: Reality

**Chapter Two:  
><strong>Reality**  
><strong>

**A/n: As per usual, **_'this' _**is a thought**, _**'this' **_**is a Nobody's thought/speech, and long sections of italics are usually memories or dreams.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own KH.**

'_It's a luscious mix of words and tricks that let us bet when you know we should fold__.__'_**  
>-<strong>**"Caring is Creepy" by the Shins**__

* * *

><p><em>The sound of the ocean was quite loud in her ears and, upon opening her eyes, she found herself viewing the dark waters of a familiar beach. 'This is where Reixka appeared when she was born. This is where we finally united, the Sea of Tranquility.' Much to her surprise, her Nobody did not speak a word; even odder, she appeared to be standing on the beach alone. 'I... Is it summer? Did we just get here? Where's Aunt Wilma, and Kath...?' Stefa glanced around the beach but found no one.<em>

_ She did, however, realize there was someone standing in the water. It was difficult to see the person, whose back was facing her, in the darkness, but she could make out the outline of a keyblade; a keyblade that had thorn-like objects coming off of it, 'Dark Thorn. What...? Is that supposed to be me?' The figure did not move, and Stefa did not call out to it._

_As if on cue, a voice began to speak, "Let me tell you a story." The voice sounded very nearly like hers but, at the same time, it did not. "A long time ago, all of the worlds were filled with light, and they were joined together like a giant continent. Everyone was happy in the light, and life was good. Soon, people began to want that lovely light for themselves. They fought over it, hurting and killing each other in order to seize it. Their greed spread darkness like wildfire, and almost everyone perished." Despite her best efforts in locating the owner of the chilling voice, Stefa could not. She was very much alone, and the still form in the water barely seemed to be heaving a breath, how could it be speaking? _

"_The light was nice, but it was too much for people to handle, so it was sealed away within a place called Kingdom Hearts, and the world was balanced with darkness and light; children were of the few left in the world's population now. In order to prevent such a thing from happening again, the gigantic world broke into many different worlds, most balanced with light and darkness, and they separated into space. This way, the light of each world would be balanced without the possibility of making anyone hungry for it. It is said that some of that light lives on only in the hearts of children, which changes as they age, and also in the hearts of eight pure maidens, the Princesses of Heart."_

_Stefa felt exceedingly confused. Why was she being lectured? What was going on? The form in the ocean was beginning to shudder, as if suffering a particularly bad attack. "The darkness that was formed by the greed for light, it was too strong to be destroyed, so it was sealed away..." Slowly, the person began to turn around, but it was not a person at all. _

_The blood lust it held in its large yellow eyes, the blackness that coated the clothing and the skin and rose from its body like smoke... It was the same figure that Stefa had seen several times in her lifetime; it was her darkness, her Anti-Form. She attempted to summon Shadow Heart, but it refused to appear, and, all the while, the dark creature was steadily drawing nearer to her, wishing for nothing more than to claim her life... _

_**Flash**._

"Give up?" mocked Stefa as she flipped over Riku and landed on the ground where Sora had crashed the ship.

_"Right," murmured Riku as he ran fast enough at her that he appeared to be nothing more than a blur. In a quick slicing motion, he struck at Stefa's feet and knocked her to the cement. With Way to Dawn pointed at her throat, Riku asked, "Who gives up now?"_

_**Flash**._

"_There's also another princess." King Mickey, the Radiant Garden Committee, Sora, Kairi, Riku and Stefa were hanging out in the Great Hall of Hollow Bastion. _

_Cloud, who had been staring at the floor in deep thought, glanced up. "Do you know who yet?"_

_"Yes..." King Mickey replied ever so slowly, almost hesitantly. _

_Stefa tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed. "Great! Who is it?" The King looked at her for the face time; she seemed quite excited. _

_"You," he sighed out after a few moments of silence. Even more silence passed until Stefa fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud. "Gosh, she took that a little worse than I expected."_

_**Flash**_.

_"As usual, you worry too much," remarked Quince, though it was not in an unkind way. He and Stefa were standing in what looked like the middle of nowhere. Nothing more than blackness stretched as far as the eye could see. "I did this for you, so you better not regret it or throw it away."_

_Stefa shook her head, deciding to simply not accept what was happening. "No. No, you're okay. You're just fine. This is just a power of yours, nothing more." His body was glowing in a strange golden light, and he was clearly fading away._

_"You are so pathetic," he laughed; she realized he was teasing her. "You'd find a reason to excuse Global Warming if you could."_

_She did not laugh as more tears slid down her cheeks. "I am not pathetic; I just don't want to be alone. How am I supposed to get home?" Quince took his hand out of hers, wiping the tears off of her face before his lips brushed against hers. _

_**Flash**_.

_Riku smirked. He and Stefa were standing at the edge of the shoreline at Twilight Town's beach. "I knew it wasn't possible for a normal person not to see the beach." He ruffled her hair, and she responded by shoving him in the water, not that he minded too much._

_"There's... something else, too." Though she really did not want to speak aloud the next part, she did. "There's... something, like a dream, maybe? I keep picturing this girl that sort of looks like me standing at the edge of a dark beach." Even as she spoke the words, she could picture the girl wearing something of an evil smile._

Stefa all but flung herself out of the bed, half-expecting to find herself in her familiar room at the Radiant Garden, likely because she had grown accustomed to having the strange dreams and nightmares there. She glanced beside her where Kath was curled beneath the sheets, fast asleep. _'This kid can sleep through gunfire,' _she decided before glancing around the room. The movie had long ended, and it was now simply repeating the same snippet of an annoying song over and over again.

'_**Those were just flashbacks. What's got you so worried?' **_

Stefa frowned a little as she placed her feet on the carpet, _'Beats me.' _The first one, the one that had definitely been a dream, just had a creepy feel about it, especially the things that the voice had said. What did it mean, anyway? If Reixka did not acknowledge it, did that mean she could not see it? That did not make much sense to Stefa. What she was feeling was less of a worry, and more of an aching. Remembering Quince and Riku, whose whereabouts were unknown, hurt her. The memory of Quince in particular was painful.  
>Her stomach growled, and she was somewhat surprised that she could be hungry but, nonetheless, set out of the room, down a short hallway, and into the brightly-lit, white kitchen. The kitchen really needed color, decided Stefa, as she fished a yogurt out of the refrigerator, which was packed with junk food. <em>'It looks like the Castle that Never Was, or Castle Oblivion. I should paint it this summer.'<br>_She returned to the living room and plopped down on a ratty green couch, which made her sink down into the cushions. As she poured candy bits into the vanilla yogurt, she vaguely watched a cartoon man throw a piece of dynamite at a child before running away on the television. "I need to find a life," she sighed, "and to stop talking to myself. Maybe I should have brought my homework with me. I only have about a million things of Calculus, English, and Latin to do..."  
>Stefa idly patted the head of the Doberman lying on the couch beside her as she flipped the channel to the news. The news anchor, a nervous-looking and balding man, was reporting on a "strange, black" creature that had been spotted in a nearby park. "This is not the first sighting, and police officials advise the public not to provoke these creatures if they come across them."<p>

Stefa rolled her eyes. "As if you don't know what they are," she mumbled as a badly drawn picture of a Shadow Heartless appeared on the screen. "Jewel's Grove was _destroyed_, and people were scattered to different worlds. How can we continue to pretend like Heartless don't exist? This government, I swear..."  
>Her tirade was cut short as a thud sounded somewhere in the back of the apartment, making Stefa and the dog jump. She quickly relaxed, waving it off as Kath hitting the headboard or night table in her sleep. <em><strong>'Or, she could have fallen,' <strong>_pointed out the always helpful Reixka.  
>Sighing, Stefa set the yogurt onto the table, which the dog promptly licked, as she returned to the bedroom. Kath appeared perfectly fine, still sleeping, but there was definitely something amiss. The television was off, no longer emitting the annoying song, and some of the things atop the dresser had fallen to the floor. She scanned the room, but she could find no sign of what had done it. Though she entertained the thought that Kath was feigning sleep and had done those things, she waved it off; the little girl was snoring too loudly to be faking.<br>As she walked deeper into the room, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Something she was nearly positive that had not been there before, what looked like the bottom of a black coat, was poking out from beneath the shower curtain. She said nothing as she quietly entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a click. Suddenly feeling like the world was tilted at an angle, she leaned against the door for support and held out her right hand. Still, the familiar black and white keyblade refused to appear. _**'It's an Organization member! Kill 'im!' **_

Stefa grabbed the first thing her hands could reach, a mermaid Barbie doll, and held it like she would a sword as she steadily approached the green cloth shower curtain. With her free hand, she ripped open the curtain, prepared to face what she might, but there was nothing there. Sighing with the utmost relief, she allowed the doll to clatter to the ground, and turned around – and nearly screamed. The hooded Organization XIII member quickly placed a hand over her mouth, and there were no more sounds, not even of Kath waking up from the little noise that had been made.

**XxX**

Nalani was staring at the TV screen with a face of excitement, dipping her hand into the popcorn bowl without looking away. She and Ceron were sitting on a couch in a rather spacious living room, the only thing lighting up the room being the television. Ceron regarded the movie with boredom as a psycho murderer used his chainsaw to cut off some girl's head. "This is an old movie," he complained as a second girl was beheaded.

"Exactly," replied Nalani as she stuffed popcorn into her mouth, "It's a classic." Ceron simply shook his head. They had been dating for a while, but he still had not totally adjusted to her ways. Though he would probably never admit it, their dating had brought many movies to his attention, many good.

He eyed the nearby window where, outside, snow was still falling, casting a soft glow. "It still hasn't let up," he noted as a man's piercing scream emitted from the television. Nalani and Ceron, both of whom were caught by surprised, jumped and sent the bowl of popcorn flying.

"It's just a little storm. If it's not raining, then there's a blizzard here. That's basically how it goes."

"Not usually until February, though. December is usually pretty light." It was very unusual for Ceron to be so persistent or observant.

Nalani shrugged, still eying the film. "You can't help what happens with the weather." The two of them jumped again as her phone, sitting on the table beside her, began to play the chorus of a song. She slid open the purple cellphone and pressed a few buttons while Ceron paused the movie.  
>"Who is it?" he asked as her fingers moved furiously on the keyboard.<br>"Stefa," answered Nalani, a concerned expression on her face. "We need to go to her cousin's house right now."

**XxX**

Fortunately for Ceron, the storm had let up a little, enough that he could actually see where he was driving as Nalani directed him to Summer's house. About a half an hour later, some man, a neighbor of Summer's, let them in and they entered the unlocked front door without being greeted by the Doberman. They found Stefa with ease. She was sitting atop the kitchen table and, from their angle, appeared to be spacing out. "Hey, I think we have company!" The voice of a girl called from the kitchen. "Come on in!"

Nalani's eyebrows knitted together as they entered the bright kitchen. "Stef didn't mention Elie was here..." Her sentence trailed off into a gasp, even Ceron uttered a groan of surprise, at the sight of the ex-Organization XIII member standing in the kitchen, as if it were a particularly normal thing to do. Aside from the man with green eyes and gelled blond hair, there were two other people. One of them was Reixka, and another was a girl of average height with brown hair dressed in a leather jacket and black skirt.  
>The brown-haired girl turned toward the new arrivals with a grin, ramming herself into a type of glomp at Nalani. She peered up at the taller girl from below her thick brown bangs. "It's been a while, Nalani, Ceron!"Neither of them understood how Elie could be so calm about the Nobody standing in their friend's cousin's kitchen, and instantly attempted to summon their weapons. When nothing happened, they simply fixed the man with surprised faces.<p>

Reixka was all smiles as she looked at her old friend. "Now that everyone's here, Demyx, I still don't understand. Why are you here?" Her voice was amused, but she seemed the only person in the room, aside from Elie, to be in such a mood.

Demyx sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Xigbar and Luxord," he added to Ceron and Nalani, "You remember them, right?"

"Only too well," mumbled Stefa.

"Perfect! They basically want to kill me for betraying the Organization." In all of the chaos that ensued at the end of the journey, Demyx's leaving Organization XIII had been easily forgotten. They had, at the time, assumed that he left because Xemnas got a heart and betrayed his fellows. Now that he was standing in the kitchen, unarmed, that seemed quite true; no need to get braced for a fight. Part of the Organization or not, Demyx was normally too peaceful to fight and, even in a room filled with people who could not wield weapons, he would not have attempted to take them on. If he did, the kitchen was a good place to find an arsenal.

Nalani decided that it would be too foolish to trust Demyx with ease. He was the clear choice for a decoy; they could easily be fooled by him, and Xigbar and Luxord would count on that. "So? Why does that matter to us?"

Reixka glared at her a little, "Because he's a friend."

Stefa's face remained impassive as her Nobody and best friend began to toss insults at one another. Time might heal all wounds, but Nalani and Reixka had a long way to go. "Reixka's right, but so is Nalani. We're in school, and holiday is soon."

"If you don't want to help me because I'm me," began Demyx, some emotion glittering in his bright green eyes, "Then you might want to help for another reason."

Ceron folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, what's that?"

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "So you haven't been wondering about Sora, Riku, Quince, and Roxas?" Everyone fell silent and every face became quite serious as they awaited him to continue. "Alright, so, everyone split up a few months back, right? After sealing that, uh..."

"Kingdom Hearts," prompted Elie.  
>"Right, Kingdom Hearts. Roxas and the others walked the path, but they never found anything. I'm not totally sure about the details but, not too long after that, they were attacked by a group of keyblade wielders."<br>All but Elie shouted, "What?"  
>"Anyway," continued Demyx, an uncharacteristically concentrative look on his face, "They were attacked on the orders of Luxord and Xigbar—" More shouts of surprise. "-And brought back to their stronghold. I only found out about it because they sent a couple of the keyblade wielders after me. After Xemnas got his heart," he shot a look at Stefa, "I realized that everything he told us was a lie, and I was putting myself on the line for no reason. I wanted to take advantage of my second shot at life. So I left the Organization and laid down low for a while. I was surprised when no one came after me immediately, and even more surprised when the keyblade wielders came after me." The way he spoke of the wielders, he almost seemed to <em>know <em>them. "They dragged me to some castle – I don't even know where it is or how to get there – and I was offered an ultimatum: join Xigbar and Luxord or die. They wouldn't tell me what they were doing with Roxy and them, and they wouldn't tell me what they wanted from me. They only mentioned there was some sort of pressure from a leader of another set of keyblade wielders."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," mumbled Nalani, head reeling, as she leaned against the wall and placed the back of her hand to her forehead. "Explain this to me. Who are these keyblade wielders working with Xigbar and Luxord? What about the other set of keyblade wielders?"  
>Demyx raised an eyebrow; he was really acting quite serious for a change. "You... don't know?"<br>Stefa closed her eyes for a moment as the image of a mural in Traverse Town flashed into her mind. _'There were other wielders in the mural, weren't there?' _Though she had never met them when Maleficent kidnapped her, she did know that Maleficent had other wielders. Quince had known that, hadn't he? That meant that... "Elie, you know who these guys are, right?"  
>From her seat on the countertop, Elie pressed her lips into a thin line as she thought back. "Yeah, the other keyblade wielders... They destroyed their own home world before joining Maleficent. I... can't remember their names, to be honest. I only met them a few times since I was constantly stationed <em>outside <em>of the castle while they were _inside_," her bitter tone made it clear that she still had not overcome the feeling of injustice. "Even then, I'm not even sure if I met the whole group, but I remember there were three guys in the group and at least two girls."  
>"Right, so they just... disappeared after you guys beat Maleficent?" asked Ceron, eyes on Elie.<br>Elie began to fiddle with the lace of her skirt, nervous. Something was not quite right. "Is something wrong, El?" questioned Stefa, one eyebrow raised.  
>Demyx was also staring at the brunette with something of surprise. "Hey, aren't you forgetting one more wielder?" The stares of the others became a little more intense.<br>"This... This isn't easy. I, uh, can't explain everything right now, it's... too soon," mumbled Elie, clearly anxious. "I'm not completely sure what happened after Maleficent was defeated since I betrayed her a little before then. As for the wielders, I imagine that, if they were smart, they escaped the wreckage. I never knew what became of them, and I never saw them again."

Nalani decided not to press Elie for more information, at least for the moment. "What about the other group of wielders, the ones bothering Xigbar and Luxord?"

Elie shook her head. "I have no idea who those can be. But, am I right about Maleficent's wielders being with Xigbar and Luxord?" she added to Demyx. Beneath the roof of the Castle that Never Was, Maleficent, the Organization, and the wielders had all been united, so he knew the wielders as well – if not better – than she did.

"They're the same," he agreed.  
>"And the others?" prompted Ceron.<br>Demyx shook his head. "I don't know about them, either."

Stefa nodded, easing back on the table a little as she stared up at the ceiling. "We need to let Kairi know. As much as I would love to run right over to Destiny Islands to see her, though, I need to stay in this house and ensure Kath remains safe and sound. At least until her mother gets back."  
>"Speaking of..." Reixka gestured to the Looney Tunes clock hanging on the brick wall over the sink; the only non-white part of the room. "It's almost midnight. Won't Summer...?"<p>

Stefa leapt off of the table and snapped. "Shit, yes, yes she will. Rei, take Demyx home. If Summer sees either of you, she'll probably... Well, the sad part is that she probably won't be that surprised. Anyway, just go home. Nalani, Ceron, Elie..."

"I'll meet you at your house," offered Elie.

Ceron looked from one person to the other. "It's midnight on a Monday. Shit, Nalani, we lost

track of time. You need to get home."

"Classes," groaned Nalani before facing Stefa and Elie with serious stares. "You _are _planning on going to school tomorrow, aren't you?" Neither girl answered. "_Aren't you?_"

The Doberman began to bark wildly as it ran over to the balcony's doors. "We'll hash out the details later. Rei, go. Elie, I'll see you at my house in a few... Ceron and Nalani..."

"Stefa," began Nalani in a growl. Fortunately for Stefa, Ceron gently took his girlfriend's hand into his and began to lead her toward the door. "Fine, fine, but we're talking about this!"  
>Summer did not question why three people were exiting her apartment at such a late hour on a school night as she passed them on the staircase, likely because she recognized them all. After she said her goodbyes, Stefa left and found Elie's car, a light blue Eclipse, sitting in part of her driveway. <em>'How strange to think of it as <em>my _driveway and _my _house,' _she thought, unsurprised when she walked through the open door to find Reixka, Demyx and Elie sitting at the dining room table.  
>The house was one of the few left in the neighborhood as most of the others, damaged beyond repair by Heartless and darkness, had been demolished. With the aid of her aunt and cousins, Stefa had managed to get the house into her name and also received much assistance in paying for it. Admittedly, she was still shocked that her family allowed her to move out and live on her own but, for the most part, everyone in the family dispersed from the giant house in order to preserve their sanities.<br>Stefa had not changed her house much. She still did not have the heart to alter either her mother or uncle's rooms, which had been left more or less untouched (though some looters had stolen some items), and had not changed the furnishings much, either. It was a nice reminder that her life had not always been so complicated; she loved the house just the way it was, despite the fact that she had been complaining about it for years prior to the Heartless attack. "What's the plan?" asked Demyx, an eager expression on his face as Stefa eased herself onto the back of the blue couch.

She smiled a little at the memory of her injured, fifteen-year-old self lying on the couch before checking out on the Heartless attack, but the others assumed the smile was for a different reason. "Are we going to see Kairi?" added Elie in a keen voice.  
>"She has to know, and she can help us!" pointed out Reixka, who was clearly more than ready to leave the boring setting of Jewel's Grove.<br>Stefa glanced at the Chandelier hanging over the table. "Well, this _is _the last week before winter break. I've missed so much school, and I just came back about a month or so ago. I'm still catching up on that work. If I leave now, I could miss out on a lot." Reixka, Demyx and Elie all appeared crestfallen. "However, I can't just let go of this lead on Riku, Sora, Roxas and Quince. If we don't check it out now, who knows what will happen? We need to go see Kairi."

Elie, back to her jubilant self, jumped from her seat. "Great! When?"

"It's midnight, not now," replied Reixka, guessing Stefa's thoughts, "Tomorrow? Er, I guess, later?"

"What's a little bit of more missed school? I mean, I should go talk it over with my aunt, especially so someone can watch over this place," she gestured to the house. "But later today sounds good. I'm sure Nalani and Ceron will be over before they go to school so we can talk it over with them."

Reixka grinned. "That's what I like to hear!"

Stefa managed a small smile. The thought of seeing Kairi again, even after such a short amount of time apart, was undeniably pleasing. "Elie, the snow's still pretty bad out, so you might as well just stay here; you can take my room. Demyx, you get the couch." Once everyone got settled in for the night, Stefa took her mother's old bedroom, climbing into the familiar bed (which she had, admittedly, slept in more than just a few times simply to feel close to her mother), and falling asleep almost instantly while, downstairs, Demyx and Reixka chattered incessantly about their time apart.

The next morning, they were awoken quite early by someone impatiently ringing the doorbell. Groggily, Stefa pulled Elie, who had borrowed her pajamas, out of her bed and answered the door; Demyx and Reixka seemed perfectly awake as Ceron and Nalani, dressed for school in warm winter coats, entered the house. "I'm judging by your appearance," he gestured to Stefa's t-shirt and shorts, "that you're not going to school today."

"You two are going to fail so badly," mumbled Nalani as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Considering that we're only going to visit Destiny Islands to fill in Kairi, there's not a huge need for everyone to go. If you want to go to school, you definitely can," informed Elie with a kind smile.

Nalani frowned. "How do we know that you're going to come back?"

"Come on, Nala, would I ever leave you?" asked Stefa, smiling. Nalani raised her eyebrows as they both remembered Stefa's first adventure. In her defense, she had been engulfed by darkness the moment she stepped outside. "I promise it will be alright. You guys go to school, and I'll find a way to contact you when we get things figured out."

Nalani rolled her eyes. "I'm finishing out this week before winter break, if nothing more. I've essentially missed nearly four years of schooling." That was true; if anyone needed to stay behind in Jewel's Grove for the sake of learning and graduating, it would be Ceron and Nalani, both of whom had missed much more school than Stefa or Elie. "Call tonight, alright? And be careful. Don't do anything stupid!" When she hugged Stefa, some snow rubbed onto the girl's bare skin, causing her to jump back. "Ha, serves you right! See ya."  
>Once Nalani and Ceron left for school, Stefa looked to the others. "Since we're all awake, let's get our stuff in order, shall we?"<p>

**XxxxxX  
><strong>

"I was never meant to run an organization," remarked a man as he leaned back in his plain white chair. He was staring across the white table at a man who was shuffling a deck of cards. Both were similarly dressed in a long black coat with the hood pulled up. "That was the job of Xemnas and Marluxia. Maybe even Saïx."

There was a bit of amusement in the voice of the other man, though he did not look away from his cards. "Ah, that's right. Your job was to be another free spirit, wasn't it? A free spirit that enjoyed shooting at people on the occasion."

The first man rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well..." He trailed off since he had no better argument. "We're the only two left, but you were always the second smartest in the Organization, so what's the plan now?"

"We already have the cards we need," replied the other man as he cut the deck again. "Now we just need one more good hand and we can complete things."

"I hate it when you speak in poker, Luxord,"

Luxord sighed. "The other four will come running, thus bringing Naminé along with them," He allowed his hood to fall off of his head to reveal his short blond hair, the devious glint in his blue eyes, and his pearly white teeth as he smiled. "After using her, we may be able to influence the others into assisting our side with the war."

"What's Naminé supposed to do?" asked the other man as he shook his head. "She can't help us."

"Oh, I think she might be able to rearrange some memories for us... Persuasion will be on our side." There was a knock on the door and both men turned toward the noise. "You may enter."

Another person, clearly a female judging by her shape, dressed in the same coat joined them. She took one look at the raggedy grey room and sighed as her boots clicked against the stone floor. _'So uncheerful, this place,' _she thought to herself as she stopped before the table. "It wasn't easy taking out that Roxas." She sounded exhausted. "But he's out and with the others."

"Don't forget that he can use portals again," the man leaning in the chair reminded her.

The girl heaved another sigh and tossed her hood off to reveal shoulder length silver hair. "I know, I know, Xigbar." Her brown eyes screwed up in concentration as she attempted to pin her bangs back with a blue barrette; clearly, the fight with Roxas had been particularly difficult on her. She turned her eyes on them, a strange combination with her hair, and the Nobodies attempted to feel less than perturbed by the unusual appearance. Though they had adjusted after all of these years, it was still strange.

"Holly, Holly, shouldn't you be calling me 'Superior'?" teased Xigbar.

The girl, Holly, snorted. "Yeah, once I keel over and die. Well, actually... I still wouldn't then." Luxord chuckled quietly while Xigbar just appeared to be annoyed.

"You may go now," said the Freeshooter in a warning voice. Smiling, Holly bowed mockingly as she backed out of the door. Wanting support, Xigbar looked toward Luxord.

Luxord shot him a sympathetic smile. "There's always one."

Xigbar snorted, "With these kids? It's _all _of them," he complained. "I don't know how Maleficent dealt with them, but I get why they weren't working with the Organization the past couple years. Between her and her friends, it'll be like Roxas and Axel all over again..."

* * *

><p><strong>An: A bit on the lengthy side, but i couldn't decide where I should end it. Nalani and Ceron will be coming up later, I'm sure; this story is still in the planning stage. xD'**


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